let's make some plans because they can go wrong

I have always lived fairly near to Walsall, England which in indiepop terms has never really featured on the radar. Birmingham or Wolverhampton always had the best gigs and club nights, and Dudley had JB's but Walsall was a backwater. Occasionally an optimistic promoter may start a night with local bands, and hope to attract some bigger indie bands who were touring to headline, but these attempts usually petered out after a while. Walsall did, however, play host to one of the best gigs I have ever been to. Around early 1988 a Wolverhampton band called The Sandkings were starting to get a lot of attention, not only locally, but nationally as well. They had a very energetic manager who was keen for them to play as many shows as possible and he investigated all the local towns for possible venues for them to play. The choice in Walsall was very limited, but a gig was booked at a place called The Overstrand. The Overstrand was an upstairs restaurant during the day that sometimes put on events at night. The actual location of the venue was in the famous Walsall Market. I heard about the gig and asked my friend Darren if he fancied coming along. This being a gig in Walsall we weren't really expecting much.

The show was on a Friday night and when we got there were surprised to see a crowd of around 40 people, which for an indie gig in early 1988 was quite a turn out. We were also pleasantly surprised to find out that another local band called The Fanatics were on the bill. The Fanatics had also been attracting a lot of attention in the local music paper - Brum Beat. I was starting to think that this was going to be a great night. After a couple of drinks it was around 9pm and The Fanatics took to the stage. Immediately I was struck by the quality of the songs and also the charisma of the lead singer - Simon Fowler. Man, this boy could sing. He was very confident on stage, and although the sound was a standard guitar, bass and drums set up, your attention never wandered during the whole set. At the end they played a Sonics cover which merged into a Velvet Underground song. A great performance. The following year they released the 'Suburban Love Songs' EP on Chapter 22 Records but then disbanded at the end of 1989. They then went on to become Ocean Colour Scene and the rest is history, as they say.

The Fanatics were a hard act to follow but The Sandkings put on a great show. In the late 80s it was incredibly difficult for young bands to get heard and break out of the indie scene to reach a wider audience. If The Sandkings were around today they would be massive but it was a very different time then. It is a testament to their talent and dedication that they did gain national recognition, but this was after they replaced the original singer with more of a showman. The Overstrand was one of the last gigs they played I think with Andy the original singer. It was this line up that recorded the classic "Rain" - one of the best songs of this period. This single was released in 1988 and they then recruited Jas Mann on vocals, who also later found fame with Babylon Zoo. So, all in all, this gig proved to be a foundation on which some musical careers were built. I don't think Walsall will play host to such a show again as there are even fewer venues now, but who knows what the future has in store.

The Fanatics - My Brother Sarah

The Fanatics - Suburban Love Songs

The Sandkings - Rain